Sealed door assembly



April 21, 1953 B. GROSS SEALED DOOR ASSEMBLY Filed Oct. 50, 1951INVENTORL Arrow/2 Patented Apr. 21, 1953 SEALED noon ASSEMBLY BernardGross, San Diego, Calif.,

Aircraft Corporation, San, Diego,

poration of California assignor to Bohr Calif., a cor- ApplicationOctober 30, 1951, Serial No. 253,773

4Claims. (01.229-46),

This invention relates to a sealed door assembly adapted for closing anopening in any vessel as, for example, a fuel or lubricating oil tank orthe pressurized cabin of an airplane. It is an object of the inventionto provide a door assembly whose main parts may be stamped out of sheetmetal and are therefore inexpensive to construct.

Another object is to provide a door assembly which may be easilyinstalled without the use of specially designed fasteners.

A further object is to provide against leakage along one or more of thefasteners used in the installation of the door assembly.

Another object is to provide a door assembly adapted" for use airplanesin which the outer surface of the assembly is smooth and even foraerodynamic reasons.

Other objects will become apparent as the description of the doorassembly proceeds. For a better understanding of the invention,reference is made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a top view of a door assembly embodying the invention,

Figure 2 is a sectional view through a portion of the door of Figure 1on line 2-2, taken on an enlarged scale,

Figure 3 is a sectional view showing certain parts of Figure 2 partlyassembled,

Figure 4 is a top view on an enlarged a screw sealing means and,

Figure 5 is a top view on an enlarged scale of one of the bushings usedin the door assembly.

The invention is shown in connection with a closed vessel In havingsidewalls II and a top wall l2 having a circular opening |3. The vesselin may be constructed entirely of metal and may be a container forholding fuel or lubricating oil on an aircraft, a pressurizedcompartment of an airplane or a vessel of any other type. Mounted withinopening I3 is a circular door l4 secured in position by a set of flatheaded screws l5, those illustrated being the Phillips type. The screwspass freely through Openings in a retainer ring or support plate l6 andare threaded into nuts l'l. Ring 3 is riveted to top wall l2 bya set ofrivets I8, the openings I9 in wall |2 being countersunk so that theheads of the rivets are flush, as illustrated. Each rivet passes througha circular hole 20 in a spacer ring 2| and a hollow cylindrical bushing22 which extends through support It and a short distance into ring 2|. Atorus shaped ring 23 of rubber-like material is deformed intorectangular shape and scale of spacer ring 2|, wall l2 andwithbushing'22 when the ends 2% of the rivets are driven and set againstthe ends of bushings 22, eachcfwhich has a short flange, 25 whichbecomesseated against the lower face of ring it.

Each screw l5 passes through. a hole 26 stamped in an inner spacer ring21 whose inner edge 28 is even with the edge of retainer ring it. Hole26 is of a diametersomewhat greater than the diameter of a circularmetal washer219 which encloses a torus shaped gasket til of rubber-likematerial. Upon tightening screws I5, gasket 30 is deformed intorectangular shape and compressed into sealing contact with the smoothportion of screw l5 with door M and with plate Hi. Disposed, behindopening I3 is a floating metal ring 3| against Whose inner and outeredges are seated the torus shaped gaskets 32, 33 of rubber-likematerial. Gasket 32 upon assembly of the door is deformed into sealingcontact with door It, ring 21, retainer l6 and ring 3| while gasket 33is compressed into sealing contact with wall I2, ring 3|, retainer |6and spacer ring 2|. Should one of the gaskets 23 for any reason becomedefective and permit leakage of fluid past it, such leakage flowingtowards the door would be stopped by gasket 33 and thus prevented fromescaping through opening l3. Or, if one of the gaskets 30 should becomedefective, any leakage past it would be stopped by gasket 32 before itcould reach opening l3. While door l4 and wall l2 are shown in Figure 1made of clear, transparent plastic to simplify the drawing, it will beunderstood that vessel II) including top wall |2 may be made of sheetmetal and that door M and rings I6, 2|, 21 and 3| may be stamped fromsheet metal as, for example, aluminum or stainless steel in a punchpress.

The several gaskets referred to are made of material which is notinjured or dissolved by the liquid or gas in vessel 10 and the termrubberlike is to be understood as including resilient, synthetic rubbercompounds as well as rubber.

Any suitable means (not shown) may be used to secure the several nuts I!to ring I6 so that they will not rotate when screws I5 are turned. Tosecure access to the opening in the vessel, it is only necessary toloosen screws l5 and lift the door I4. To close the vessel, door I4 isreplaced and screws |5 tightened, the compression of gaskets 33 and 32causing the opening in vessel in to be hermetically sealed.

This invention may be embodied in other forms or carried out in otherways without desealing contact with the stem of rivet it, with partingfrom the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The presentembodiment of the invention is therefore to be considered as in allrespects illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the inventionbeing indicated by the appended claims, and all changes which comewithin the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are intendedto beembraced therein,

' 'Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and usefuland desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. Means for closing the circular opening in the wall of a vesselcomprising: a circular door having a peripheral edge in the plane oftheopening and disposed close to the marginal wall ofthe opening, the outerface of the door being substantially flush with the outer face of theves sel wall; a support in the vessel and overlapping said door andvessel wall; a metal ring in engagement with said support and extendingalong the door and wall of the vessel; torus. shaped gaskets: ofresilient material in engagement re;- spectively with the inner andouterperipheral edges of said metal ring; a set of spaced apart;fasteners passing through said support. and the vessel wall; and asecond set of spaced apart fas-.- teners passing; through said supportand said door. said sets of fasteners being arranged to cause saidsupport to compress. said gaskets into sealing contact with said: doorand vessel wall.

2. Closure means as claimed in claim I; in which circular gaskets ofresilient material are disposed Within the vessel and around each ofsaid fasteners in sealing contact therewith.

3; Means for closing the circular opening in the wall of a vesselcomprising: a circular door having a peripheral edge in the plane of'theopening and disposed close to the marginal wall thereof; a supportdisposed in the vessel and overlapping said door and vessel wall; inner,middle and outer circular metal rings of the same thickness, said innerring being in contact with said support and door, said outer ring beingin contact with said support and the vessel wall and sa m le ing be eceet with ai port, said door and the vessel wall; a continuous circulargasket of resilient material disposed between and in contact with saidinner and middle rings; a secqnd continuous circular gasket of resilientmaterial disposed between and in contact with said middle and, outerrings, and a plurality of'spacedg apart removable securing screwspassing through said-door and support.

4, Qlqsure means as claimed in claim 3; in which said securing screwsand support are arranged to compress saidgaskets into sealing contactwith said door and the wall of the vessel respeetiv ly:

BERNARD GRQSfi.

References Cited in th file Q? this retest UNITED STATES PATENTS

